Emergency identification pouch with DNA source specimen

ABSTRACT

An emergency identification pouch including a sealed personal identification envelope containing a DNA source specimen. The sealed envelope is encased in a laminate sheath which may be cut open to retrieve the envelope so a DNA comparison can be made.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] It is a common practice for individuals to carry cards whichserve to identify the carrier. A driver's license is usually compact,made of plastic, and can serve to identify a person through aphotograph, height and weight, hair and eye color, or other personallyidentifiable information.

[0002] Other types of identification cards may be available to those whocannot acquire a driver's license, such as children. These cards may beof compact size and encased in a durable plastic shell. Cards withprinting on both sides may carry more information, such as an additionalphotograph or fingerprints. These cards do not adequately address theproblem of effectively identifying a person when that person is deceasedand the person's remains are damaged in such a way as to renderimpossible traditional visual identification, or identification throughfingerprint technology. The prior art does not adequately addresssafeguarding a DNA specimen against contamination during production ofsuch a card and opening of the card. The conclusive identification ofdeceased or missing persons through DNA comparison is important in bothcivil and criminal matters.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide an emergencywallet size identification pouch which contains personally identifiableinformation. It is another object of the invention to provide such apouch useful in conclusively identifying a missing or deceased person.It is another object of the invention to provide an improved method foridentifying individuals. These as well as other objects are accomplishedby utilizing a compact envelope to preserve a DNA specimen. Generalpersonal identification information is placed on both sides of theenvelope and the envelope is encased in a sheath made of laminatematerial such as plastic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

[0005]FIG. 1 is a front view of an emergency identification envelope;

[0006]FIG. 2 is a rear view of the emergency identification envelope;

[0007]FIG. 3 shows a hair being inserted into the envelope;

[0008]FIG. 4 is a front view of the envelope in a laminate sheath;

[0009]FIG. 5 illustrates cutting of one end of the laminate sheath;

[0010]FIG. 6 illustrates removal of the envelope from the laminatesheath;

[0011]FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of making anemergency identification pouch with a DNA source specimen, and

[0012]FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a process of using theemergency identification pouch to identify a human being.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention provides a wallet size emergency personalidentification pouch carrying standard identifying information such asname, address, height, weight, photograph and fingerprints, as well asproviding a DNA source specimen such as hair, saliva or other humanfluids or tissue, of the person identified by the pouch. This DNA sourcespecimen is matched up with the standard identifying informationinserted into an envelope which is sealed and encased a laminate sheathto form a pouch so there can be no doubt about whose DNA it is. By soencasing the hair strands or saliva on paper, for instance, not only isthe identity of the person whose DNA is present in the hair or salivapreserved, but the integrity of the hair or saliva is also preserved.

[0014] The present invention is advantageous to both the holder of theidentification pouch and to any person who may need to utilize the pouchto ascertain the identity of an individual by comparing the DNA of thepouch specimen to the DNA of a source specimen found elsewhere. Thereexists a predetermined broken line along which the laminate sheath maybe cut, thereby permitting access to the hair or saliva sample, shouldthe need arise.

[0015] Referring FIGS. 1 and 2, the envelope 5 contains fields or spacesfor personal identification data on the front and back sides thereof.The front, displaced in FIG. 1, has a space 6 for the year in which thepouch was created, a space 7 for the identified person's name and aspace 8 for that persons photograph. It also contains spaces 11, 12, 13,14, 16, 17, 18 for the identified person's sex, weight, height, age, eyecolor, hair color, and distinguishing marks, respectively. Referring toFigure, the rear of the envelope 5 includes a space 21 for a left thumbprint and a space 22 for a right thumb print of the person identified onthe front of the envelope 5. The flap 23 of the envelope 5 includes aspace 24 for the initials of the identified person's parent who sealsthe envelope and a space 26 for the initials of the representative whoseals the envelope. Also included on the flap 23 is a space 27 for theteachers name and a space 28 for the school grade of the identifiedindividual. The information on the envelope 5 may be in multiplelanguages.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 3 the flap 23 has been opened and a DNAspecimen in the form of a hair 31 is being inserted into the interior ofthe envelope 5. After the hair 31 has been inserted an adhesive area 32on the underside of the flap 23 is moistened and the flap is folded to aclosed position, as shown in FIG. 2, in which the envelope safelyencloses the DNA specimen 31. The adhesive area 32 may be a gummed areacovered by a removable waxed paper, in which case the flap 23 is closedand sealed after removal of the waxed paper.

[0017]FIG. 4 shows the closed envelope 5 sealed in a plastic sheath 36to form a laminated wallet size pouch 27. The plastic sheath includes amarking or broken line 38 on which the plastic sheath 36 can be cut toremove the identification envelope 5. FIG. 5 shows the sheath 36 beingcut on the marking or broken line 38 by a scissors 39. FIG. 6 shows theenvelope 5 being removed from the cut sheath 36 by way of the opening 41formed by the cut. After removal of the envelope, the envelope 5 may becut across its flap end, as directed by the notation on the flap 23appearing in FIG. 2, to remove the DNA specimen from the envelope.

[0018]FIG. 7 illustrates the process of making the emergencyidentification pouch of this invention. An envelope 5 containing fielddescriptions and information descriptive of a human being and a laminatesheath is provided. A DNA source specimen from the person identified bythe envelope is gathered and placed in the envelope 5. The DNA sourcespecimen is preferably in the form of one or more human hairs and/orsaliva on a small piece of paper. The envelope 5 is sealed and placedinside a laminate sheath 26 so that both sides of the card are visiblethrough the clear laminate, then the sheath is sealed so that theenvelope and the DNA source specimen are protected from damage. Thesheath may be cut on the broken line 38 thereby releasing the DNA sourcespecimen for use in human identification.

[0019]FIG. 8 illustrates the process of using the emergencyidentification pouch 37 of this invention. First, the identificationenvelope 5 is prepared, the DNA source specimen is placed in theenvelope and the sealed envelope is encased in the laminate sheath 36.When an unidentifiable body is found which is suspected of being theperson identified by the card, the DNA source specimen is removed fromthe sheath 36 by cutting along the broken line 38 permitting removal ofthe specimen through the opening 41. The DNA source specimen is removedand compared to a DNA source specimen of an unidentified body, whichresults in a virtual 100% confirmation of whether the unidentifiablebody is in fact the person identified by the envelope. Another situationin which the pouch would prove useful is when the person identified bythe envelope is missing, and latent evidence such as hair, blood, orother bodily fluid or tissue containing DNA is found which potentiallybelongs to the person identified by the envelope. The DNA sourcespecimen inside the sheath may be removed and used for comparison to theDNA present in the latent evidence.

[0020] Although the present invention has been described in detail, itshould be understood that the pouch and the methods described herein andillustrated in the drawings are subject to other advantages andmodifications that may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the scope of thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An emergency wallet size identification pouchcomprising: an envelope with information on both sides thereofdescriptively identifying a human; a DNA source specimen of said humanin said envelope, and a clear laminate sheath encasing said envelope andsaid DNA source specimen.
 2. The emergency pouch of claim 1 wherein saidenvelope is sealed.
 3. The emergency identification pouch of claim 2,wherein said DNA source specimen may be removed from said envelope uponsaid sheath being cut at a predetermined end thereof; and
 4. Theemergency identification pouch of claim 1, wherein said informationidentifying said human includes a photograph and fingerprints of saidhuman.
 5. The emergency identification pouch of claim 1, wherein saidinformation identifying said human is legibly imprinted in multiplelanguages on said envelope.
 6. The emergency identification pouch ofclaim 1 wherein said DNA source specimen is hair of said human.
 7. Theemergency identification pouch of claim 1 wherein said DNA sourcespecimen is saliva of said human.
 8. An emergency wallet sizeidentification pouch comprising: an envelope, having two sides on whichinformation is entered identifying a human; a DNA source specimen insaid envelope; and a clear laminate sheath enclosing said envelope andan end on said laminate sheath which when cut provides an openingpermitting removal of said envelope from said laminate sheath.
 9. Theemergency identification pouch of claim 8 wherein said DNA sourcespecimen is hair of said human.
 10. The emergency identification pouchof claim 8 wherein said DNA source specimen is saliva of said human. 11.The emergency identification pouch of claim 8, wherein said informationidentifying said human includes a photograph and fingerprints.
 12. Theemergency identification pouch of claim 8, wherein said informationidentifying said human is legibly imprinted in multiple languages onsaid envelope.
 13. A method for making a wallet size emergencyidentification pouch comprising: printing information on envelopedescriptive of an individual human; placing a DNA source specimen ofsaid human, in said envelope, sealing said envelope, encasing saidsealed envelope in a clear laminate sheath.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein said information descriptive of said human includes a photographand fingerprints.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein said DNA sourcespecimen is hair of said human.
 16. The method of claim 13 wherein saidDNA source specimen is saliva of said human.
 17. The method of claim 13,further comprising providing a marking on said sheath along which saidsheath may be cut to facilitate the extraction of said envelope fromsaid plastic sheath.
 18. The method of claim 13, further comprisingprinting said information in multiple languages.
 19. A process foridentifying an individual human comprising: imprinting informationdescriptive of said individual human on an envelope; placing a DNAsource specimen of said human, in said envelope; sealing card envelope;encasing said sealed envelope in a clear laminate sheath; removing saidenvelope from said laminate sheath; removing said DNA source specimenfrom said envelope and comparing the DNA contained in said DNA sourcespecimen with that of DNA samples taken from an unidentified human todetermine whether or not the DNA of said unidentified human matches saidDNA of said DNA source specimen removed from said envelope.
 20. Theprocess of claim 18, wherein said laminate sheath has a marking on whichit is cut to permit removal of said envelope from said laminate sheath.